Cruise Reviews

My husband and I decided to take our teen kids on a cruise for Christmas this year. We chose the Carnival Paradise, mainly because the dates matched up with the school holiday schedule. This was my 3rd time cruising with Carnival and I ... Read More

My husband and I decided to take our teen kids on a cruise for Christmas this year. We chose the Carnival Paradise, mainly because the dates matched up with the school holiday schedule. This was my 3rd time cruising with Carnival and I found I was not to impressed this time around. We had the bed made into a king, which was literally 2 twin beds pushed together. Nothing holding them together, nothing in the crack, so we did not like that. The weather was not the best, it was cooler and the wind was strong. The ship was moving quite a bit from the wind too. We found it was not very pleasurable to be outside. That left us seeking things to do inside, which seemed a little difficult during the day. The Paradise is an older ship and the decor is not very pretty. I had imagined that the ship would have been more decorated for Christmas, but there was actually very few decorations. The food seemed to get old quick, seemed like the same stuff most days. Our lasts 2 days on the ship the wait staff in the dining room seemed not as good. One morning we had to wait 30 minutes for a our food to be delivered. Overall their were kids running around everywhere and people just leaving there plates of food laying around the ship. I get we are on vacation, but people should have a little more respect. We did down load the Carnival HUB app with 5 of us on this cruise. We discovered that you don't need to buy a internet plan or use your data to use the app. It was very helpful because you can look up show times, food locations and times, keep an eye on your charges. We also got the chat. It was $5.00 per person but well worth it. With 5 people going in different directions, it was a great way to let your family know where your heading next or what time to meet for dinner. I think the next cruise I take with Carnival will be on a newer ship with maybe a better floor plan too. Read Less

I went on my first cruise, December of 2018, it was the Carnival Paradise out of Tampa. I highly recommend NOT taking this ship for a cruise - service was great, 90% of the crew members were terrific, but the food, OMG, in my opinion it's ... Read More

I went on my first cruise, December of 2018, it was the Carnival Paradise out of Tampa. I highly recommend NOT taking this ship for a cruise - service was great, 90% of the crew members were terrific, but the food, OMG, in my opinion it's low quality and not enjoyable to eat, and every meal I felt like we were just herded through the buffet area like cattle. The restaurant was a little better experience but it's mostly the same food as the buffet. Maybe when you're drunk you don't notice these things, but I'm not a drinker so I guess the food is much more important to me than to most. The ship's entertainment was very good, and getting on and off the ship was okay. Our stops were Roatan (Mohagany Bay) and Cozumel - the island of Roatan is, in my opinion, a crap hole, I've no interest in going back. I personally will never take the Paradise again, and likely will never take Carnival again. Just my two cents. Read Less

Celebrating my parents 60 th Anniversary.
The ship staff was superb. We had a vow renewal planned for my parents and all was well until the weather turned. Jasmina the wedding planner was terrific. My parents and some of our guests ... Read More

Celebrating my parents 60 th Anniversary.
The ship staff was superb. We had a vow renewal planned for my parents and all was well until the weather turned. Jasmina the wedding planner was terrific. My parents and some of our guests were too ill from the ship listing to leave their rooms. Jasmina called and stated the Captain would not be able to perform the ceremony. Given all the sick family members we decided to cancel the ceremony. Jasmina took me to guest services to get their support to cancel. An email was sent to Carnival on land and they are going to refund me the money. Later that evening everyone was able to get dressed for dinner. We all suited up In the outfits we planned on and took lovely photos on deck 9. We had a steak house selection for dinner with a bottle of wine.
The food on the ship was good and great variety.
The junior suite (V6) was a nice cabin. These balconies are a bit smaller than a standard balcony, although still enjoyable. Location wa convenient to all.
The shows and music were great. Had some fun in the piano bar as well.
Never had a problem getting a deck chair.
We did the deluxe stingray city and starfish snorkel in Grand Cayman. Stingray City was awesome. My second time doing this. Water was quite rough but still enjoyable. The Starfish stop, I think was staged. We didn’t even get in the water as we were all a little pooped from previous snorkel.
Cozumel we took the water ferry to Playa Del Carmen. Wow, lots of pushy salesmen. We politely said no thank you and moved on.
We had a delicious lunch and delectable Gelato. Ohhhh so good!
As I said in the start of this review, the last day and night was the worst I ever encountered on a cruise. I have 22 under my belt and never had such rough seas.. Carnival did their best to accommodate all the sick passengers. They gave out patches and Dramamine to any guest who needed it. The poor cleaning staff had definitely deserved their tips and more.
All in all a great cruise and I would sail her again. Read Less